Victory
by CultOfStrawberry
Summary: She knew she would be the Victor. She had the skills, smarts, and brawn. However, the glitz and glamor that surrounds the Victors is nothing compared to the reality she has to deal with once she becomes one of the elite few.
1. I

**Victory**

I

Hunger Games belongs to Suzanne Collins, I do not claim ownership of the HG universe nor do I make any profit off this story, it is just a fun fic from a fan impressed enough by the HG to do this. While I love the books, I do wish they had been longer, to explore more of certain aspects of Panem, as well as exploring the backgrounds of more characters (Enobaria, Wiress, Chaff, Seeder, Cecelia, etc)

I purposely left out the name of this character and what District they belong to, you can imagine who this is for yourself. I tried to stick with the canon of the books as much as I could and only filled in the blanks that Suzanne Collins never elaborated on or detailed during her books. This story is split into three parts. It was originally planned as a one-shot but then as the idea developed itself it seemed best splitting it up into 3 installments.

If you enjoyed this, please don't forget to leave a review, they are lifeblood for an author.

o0o0o0o

The first Hunger Games she had ever watched was the Forty-fifth Hunger Games. The carnage played out before her seemed unreal to her young mind, even after the boy from District 11 lost his hand and managed to win the Game.

Sure, she had heard of the Hunger Games, and Reaping Day was such a huge occasion. She did not understand it back then, but the Tributes from her District were predominantly Careers. They volunteered for the Games, and if they volunteered, why, it must be fun!

o0o0o0o

It was not until the 50th game that she saw what it was they were getting into, since last year, her parents had tried to keep her away from the television, letting her watch the interviews, some of the footage where the Tributes just looked for food or shelter, and the victory interview in an effort to shield her from the violence, but she had managed to glimpse some of what her parents did not want to see because they also played it at school, and she would also watch some of it at her friend's houses. Even after seeing children kill one another, her friends laughed at it, it was a game, heck, it was even in the title of this annual event!

That year, she remembered, double the number of Tributes were to be Reaped from each district. Since being a Career Tribute was a very specialized choice, usually just one eighteen-year-old boy and one girl the same age was chosen every year by the elite, to train for the Hunger Games. The Quarter Quells were surprises, and so this year, the same amount of Career Tributes turned eighteen, their last year for Hunger Games eligibility. Since two more positions needed to be filled, the next available Career girl, a tall brunette girl of seventeen, volunteered.

The next Career boy did not volunteer, wanting to save his victory for the next year. She remembered the unfortunate boy who had never considered being an Hunger Games participant, not when a Career would almost always volunteer. He stood next to the three Careers, his misery and fear a sharp contrast to the smiling and waving eager Tributes, accentuating his somewhat pudgy build.

She would find out why the boy looked so afraid. Double the amount of Tributes meant a longer game and more deaths. Again, her parents tried to shield her from the carnage, but since the Hunger Games was such a big part of society and the media, this was impossible.

Her parents took bets. One of the Tributes from her own district had been in the final four, and her parents gambled on the fact that they would receive the monthly bonuses over the next year, even the children. It had happened several times in her parent's lifetimes.

o0o0o0o

No one could be more surprised when the Victor of the Second Quarter Quell was a poor chap from District 12, an area that was just about the opposite of her own, or so the media showed her. Her parents lost quite a bit of money on that.

They had never been wealthy, but her father made enough to keep his family well-fed and clothed, a warm roof over their heads. She never had to worry about where her next meal came from. She might not have the prettiest dresses or be able to keep up with the latest fashions, but she still liked her clothes. Tessera was not a consideration for her family, but she knew that many in the District were wealthier than her family would ever be.

Her father lost a bit of money, so they had to limit their budget for the next year. Still, it wasn't so bad, it just meant less allowance and just one present for her and her younger siblings on their birthdays, no new dresses for Mom, and her father couldn't buy the new car he wanted.

o0o0o0o

However, the nest year, the Victor was from their district – the very boy who refused to volunteer the year before. so she celebrated her first Parcel Day, enjoying the goodies that she usually never did, and seeing the tall, strong youth smile and wave to the cameras and crowds when he came to his home district during the Victory Tour. She had nearly forgotten the look of the unwilling Tribute from the 50th Game.

o0o0o0o

The years went by. She was twelve. She was a good student in school – perhaps not the best, but she pulled good enough grades that if she kept up, could earn her a better-paying job down the road. All the children her age had to take a test. It was a different test than she was used to. There were puzzles to do, and word questions, as well as a physical fitness test.

A week later, she was called to the principal's office along with about fifteen other children from her grade. At first she thought she had done something wrong, but the principal beamed down at the group standing in front of his desk. They had been the highest scorers in the school, which qualified them for training to become Career Tributes.

o0o0o0o

Technically, becoming a Career was supposed to be illegal, as all of the Districts were supposed to have an equal chance at earning the Capitol's forgiveness and its generosity.

But apparently, the Capitol turned a blind eye to this, because even though they could see that three Districts usually had the best and strongest Tributes, they had chosen to not take note of this.

And the Districts that fostered Careers were quick to reap the reward of one of their Tributes winning any given year. In her District, being a Tribute was a honor, if you submitted yourself to the arena in which 23 children would die, you were brave, and your District would often send gifts to you through your Mentor in the hopes that you came home alive to thank them for their generosity. If you won, you were practically a hero, thanked for increasing the fortunes of everyone within the District for the next year.

o0o0o0o

Every year, there were fewer children in the Career training track. A few of the children left the principal's office that fateful day. Others would drop out through the next few years, if the training or psychological pressure became too much for them. The first four years, one could drop out without reprisal, for only the best, smartest, and fittest were worthy enough to try to prove themselves in the Hunger Games. The only privileges the children got through these first four years were better meals and martial arts or weapon training sessions outside of school. None of this was flaunted, of course. She went to school as she always did, and her parents did not receive any bonuses for this.

And every year, she would watch the Hunger Games, of course. She witnessed scores of children die from starvation, exhaustion, being attacked by animals, natural disasters, or being killed by other Tributes.

The grinning, confident, well-dressed Careers that were interviewed by Caesar Flickerman sometimes bore no resemblance to what they would become once they were thrown into the arena. Feral, bloodthirsty, desperate to survive, especially if they were pitted against the other Careers they were once allied with. That was inevitable if you and other Careers managed to make it to the final four and had no one else to fight or kill. When it came to life and death, friendships and whether you liked your fellow Tributes, ceased to matter.

o0o0o0o

In her sixteenth year, her District won the Hunger Games. The Victor was just two years older than she was. She remembered her first Parcel Day, and was eager for another year of Parcels. At sixteen, she understood better the honor that came with being a Career and hopefully a Victor. Why force an unwilling and unfit Tribute to be killed in the Arena, usually in the Bloodbath? If an Career died, the at least they went down fighting, doing their best.

There was a memorial near the Justice Building, for the fallen Tributes of their district. The epitaph mentioned their courage and willingness to sacrifice themselves for the good of their District. Sometimes she wondered if it really was a honor, but she never voiced these thoughts, and pushed it to the back of her mind.

o0o0o0o

To continue Career training, things would change. A little more than half of her starting class had been culled by this point.

The training would become more specialized, and they could even leave the school for half of the day. They would get the chance to have personal one on one time with the Victors. Their families would get a bonus, and even the Career trainees themselves would receive a monthly stipend.

Of course, all of this came at a price. The people sponsoring the training of Careers wanted to make sure they got their money's worth, so once you went into the last two years of training, you could not back out. If you did, you – or your family – were expected to pay back all the money invested in your training, including the meals, vitamins, and training you got for your first four years.

She was given an envelope to take home to her parents. If her parents agreed to the terms and were willing to risk the loss of their child in two years, then they would sign the contract, and she would return to the Justice Building the next day, her own signature also on the paper.

Her parents were reluctant, and didn't want to sign at first. They tried to reason with her. She had already gotten four years of training, that would go far when she went looking for a job. Why not just walk away with the experience she already had? It wasn't as if her family needed the money that a Victor could bring them!

However, she managed to convince them to let her officially become an Career Tribute. It was a honor, and she would be remembered either way.

o0o0o0o

She had celebrated her eighteenth birthday several months ago, and stood with the other eighteen-year-old girls, listening with half an ear as the Mayor delivered the annual Speech.

She was dressed in a new dress, her hair combed and pinned back from her face. Though some of the boys and girls took this opportunity to dress themselves up as much as possible, the dress she had selected had a quiet dignity she liked, with a high collar, her skirt stopping at mid-calf, showing a bit of her legs and the woman she was, yet with enough modesty to reflect her maturity. Careers in the past had gone for flash or glitz. Her only concession to this trend was a black and silver glitter silk scarf draped around her neck. Shouldn't a volunteer Tribute present herself on national television in the best way possible?

As soon as the Reaping Balls were brought forward, the attendant went to the one for girls, doing a small flourish with his hand as he reached down for a name slip.

He unfolded it, but before he could read the name out loud, she stood up. "I volunteer!" she said in a loud, clear tone. When she came to the stage, she did a brief curtsy before waving to the camera. As she looked out at the crowds cheering for her, she got the first taste of the honor that was lauded to the Career Tributes for their bravery and strength. However, she did not miss the sadness in her parent's eyes. Well, they would be proud of her when she came back home!

o0o0o0o

Her fellow Tribute sat across the table from her, dressed smartly in his Reaping Day outfit, his suit starched. She only listened with half a ear to the chatter of their chaperone. Next to her sat a female Victor, her mentor this year. Her partner also had his own mentor, the very same man who won the 51st games.

Her thoughts went back to the unedited videos she watched of previous Hunger Games. This material was made available to her and the other Careers to study in the last year. Not only had she studied the games where a Career had been victor, but she also studied the victory of the Tributes who had won by other means than might or ruthlessness.

One Tribute from one of the poorer District had managed to outsmart the entire Career Alliance and secure victory for himself, simply by hiding and letting the Careers destroy the rest of the players. Once he was the only non-Career left, he started stalking them, creating ruses and causing them to start quarreling with one another. This lasted several days, until he killed the last Career remaining in an surprise attack.

She had gone over hundreds of scenarios in her head, sure that she had considered every possible option and route to victory. Unlike most other Tributes, she was calm and confident. All she had to do was maintain that, and she would win.

_I will put the odds in my favor._


	2. II

**Victory**

II

Wow, this has been really fun for me to write. I've never done a story quite like this, and it was really nice to branch out into a new fandom. Please let me know what you thought of this, I have tried to remain true to the Hunger Games books and to the canon the author set while making up my own details to fill in the gaps. (yes, I do admit, I am something of a canon Nazi, lol) And thank you to those who have left a review, you are fantastic!

o0o0o0o

"Are you nervous?" her Mentor asked her when they were sitting in the privacy of her room, away from their chaperone and the boys. There was time to eat and explore the apartments that have been assigned to her District, as the Tributes from the further-off Districts have not arrived in the Capitol yet.

The young Tribute wants to say no. She had volunteered for this, and she went through training knowing what happened to those who participated in the Games, even Careers. But her mentor's question stirs up unwelcome memories. The sight of that unwilling Tribute from the 50th Games. The Tributes from her district that despite their skill, simply did not make it to the end of the Games, for whatever reason. The deaths of 23 children every year for the chance at forgiveness for something they never did...

"Yes. A little." she admitted. Her Mentor gave her a brief nod.

"Good."

She doesn't have time to ask why before it is time to get ready for the Tribute Parade.

o0o0o0o

Every year, it has always been fun for her to see how similar – or different – the costumes could be. Sometimes the designers do a wonderful job of capturing the feel of the District, other times they take the meaning too literally.

The Tributes from District 7 are again dressed as trees. They don't look too happy about it as their crew fusses over the final details. The District 1 outfits are usually over the top, and this year there is no exception, both of the outfits are white and seem to have been dipped in diamonds. The stylists for District 10 have decided to dress their charges as a cowboy and cowgirl, with sparkly hats and fringes. Well, better that than a cow or some other sort of livestock, she supposes. It's been done before. The ones from 12 are dressed as a coal-miner and lump of coal, respectively. Better than last year, when the tributes from that district had been near-naked and covered in coal dust.

The costumes for District 4 are clever, a mermaid and a sailor. Instead of being dressed as loaves of bread, the District 9 Tributes are dressed in golden-brown tunics and pants, their heads and shoulders festooned with stalks of grain that have a metallic sheen to them.

The ones from 8 are what impresses her most. Being the textile district, there has been an interesting collection of costumes through the years, depending on how creative – or literal – the stylists are. This year, whoever was in charge was really creative, at first one would think that the pair was dressed in what appeared to be multicolored silk sacks, but as one of the stylists lifts the girl's arm, she sees it, a 'wing' of more silk with a rainbow umbra effect. She can see that this will make for quite a effect on the Parade runway when the pair waves at the spectators.

She observes all the other Tributes as she is being fussed over, obligingly lifting her face for a touch of eyeshadow, feeling a hand tuck a loose strand of hair back. Some of the Tributes look nervous. One looks like he will throw up. Already she is thinking about her strategy, and which ones she should pick off first.

o0o0o0o

For her interview with Caesar Flickerman, she is calm and collected. Typically, Careers tend to be arrogant, smiling and posing for the camera, even winking or blowing a kiss. She does none of that. She is dressed in a black dress with silver sparkles along the top and hem, she had argued with her stylists over what to wear, she wanted something less gaudy than the dress they had originally wanted her to wear, and she won the argument.

She knows the other Tributes will be assessing her as she assessed them, so she keeps her responses carefully controlled.

…Yes, Caesar, I want to win. No, I'm not nervous. My mom and dad and brother and sister. Why thank you, black is my favorite color. Well, I plan to do my very best...

o0o0o0o

Through the training days, she observes all the other Tributes, including the Careers. She has studied the videos of previous Games enough to know to not underestimate someone just because he or she was not an Career. Just a few years ago an unassuming-looking girl from District 3 won, partly because of her technological know-how, something that could cause a Tribute from that District to advance well in the game, provided they were given tools, either at the Cornucopia or from sponsors, or if they found something in the arena to tinker with, like one of the cameras or traps.

Most Districts offered some sort of advantage to their children the others didn't have. 1 and 2 had better resources, food and weapon-wise, offering up a steady stream of Careers that ensured that they won the games more than the other Districts. 4 had its children swimming from a young age and learning how to make nets, hooks, and harpoons. 5 was close to 3 in access to technology. 7 often turned up Tributes who could climb or throw axes, which was a huge asset in the Games.

8, depending on the arena and what supplies could be gleaned, could put together tents, makeshift bandages, or repurpose clothing to fit their needs. One District 8 tribute had won by strangling the other remaining Tribute with a noose made of the sleeve of his coat. 11's Tributes could advance well enough if the arena was fertile, if they could identify what was edible, medicinal, or not.

She pays attention to what stations the other Tributes go to. Some of the Tributes from poorer districts focus on weapons training, thinking this the best way to stave off the obviously more skilled Careers. Since she has had training over the last six years, she knows that one week of training won't be enough for them, but she doesn't tell this to the others, of course.

She eschews the weaponry in favor for more practical pursuits that were not previously available in her training. She learns to start a fire, to identify different kinds of plants, how to build a water-trap, and even camouflaging herself. She knows all of these skills are vital to the game, she has seen too many Tributes die from natural causes in the videos.

At least, natural in a manner of speaking. She not only has the other Tributes to contend with, but the Gamemakers themselves.

o0o0o0o

It is the night before the Games are about to begin. Despite the confidence she tries to maintain, she can not help but be nervous. She will not only need to keep an eye out for the other Tributes, but the Careers she shares her alliance with. Eventually, she will have to fight them as well.

The food before her is the finest she has ever had in her life. She remembers the Capitol propaganda all the Tributes were subject to in the beginning. On the train, her escort – really, chaperone – had glibly commented that she and her partner would get to enjoy all the nice things the Capitol had to offer. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, he said. _Literally_, she adds mentally, at least for 23 of the kids.

Hmph. Granted, she had never tasted such good food, or had nice clothing, or such a soft bed to sleep in, but that doesn't mean she was miserable before. She pauses before taking a bite of her food, wondering how the Tributes from the poorer Districts must feel about the sudden comfort they have been put in. Are they enjoying themselves? There is a lanky, gaunt-faced boy from District 10 who doesn't look as if he has ever had enough to eat in his life, is he gorging himself? Never having been truly hungry before in her life, she can only imagine what starvation feels like.

o0o0o0o

Eleven Tributes are now dead after just a hour into the game. The Career alliance remains. They have been able to secure most of the food and supplies around the Cornucopia.

She and one of the Career boys decide to go hunting; the sooner the other Tributes are killed, the better, and it also means less Tributes to worry about.

They chase the pair of District 6 tributes to a cliff. The boy can't be older than thirteen, the girl a bit older. The girl had managed to grab a backpack during the Bloodbath, it doesn't seem that the boy was able to get anything.

They plead for their lives. The girl offers her backpack. She is rewarded with a slashed throat when the Career boy closes in with a deceptively friendly look on his face, as if he will accept the deal the girl is offering. The boy screams as the girl's blood spills down her shirt and on the backpack, but within two seconds, he meets the same fate. The sound of cannon fire fills the air, first once, then twice.

As the Career boy preens himself over having made two kills in such a short amount of time, he does not see his partner approaching. As he leans down to pick the backpack, he feels a sharp jab to the back of his neck, and collapses from the well-aimed blow. She takes his knife and does to him what he has just done twice. The cannon fires again.

When she comes back to the Cornucopia, she tells them that the District 6 tributes killed the Career boy, and she killed them in retaliation. They will never find out the truth.

o0o0o0o

She has managed to survive on the skills she learned during her training in the Capitol. One of the other Tributes, either 3 or 5, managed to destroy the carefully-hoarded Career food supply by taking several of the mines from the platforms and rearming them, binding them together before lobbing it near the Cornucopia, destroying over three-quarters of the pyramid, and killing her District partner as well.

Part of her is relieved that she will not have to face the possibility of killing her partner, the boy she has trained with through the years.

One of the other Career girls got killed when she chased after the Tribute responsible for the damage. At first, the remaining Careers think that the cannon fire is from her killing the other Tribute, but when the names of the fallen appear that night, the Career girl is the only casualty for that day.

Now there are only seven Tributes left, three Career and four others. The girl from 3, the boy from 5, the girl from 9, and the boy from 10.

o0o0o0o

The remaining Careers have divided the remaining supplies between themselves, carrying it in their backpacks, belts, or otherwise. Now it is time to hunt. They still have enough food to keep them going for a while, so they bound through the sparse woods. The low amount of trees gives them good visibility for many yards around.

After a while, the ground becomes more rocky, and she sees a bit of smoke coming from between two large rocks. There is a fire, and she sees two figures huddled in the safety of the shadows.

One of the Careers lets out a loud whoop, and advances with the other remaining Career. She sees the two other Tributes peer out from the shadows, recognizing the ones from 3 and 5. They look oddly... calm, even expectant.

She stops herself, but the other Careers run forward, eager to eliminate two more from the game and bring it closer to its end. An explosion fills the air.

o0o0o0o

She has to admit, she admires the cleverness of the trap. The smoke starts to clear, revealing the mangled bodies of her allies. She cautiously moves forward, and manages to see the faces of the other Tributes through the smoke. Now they look afraid, seeing that she is alive. This means there are no more hidden mines. But she is not taking any chances and maintains her distance, pulling out a shuriken and throwing it. It catches the boy in his throat.

o0o0o0o

Where there once was twenty-four, now there are just three. She is certain that the girl from 9 and the boy from 10 have teamed up and are waiting for her. She takes and eats as much as she can from the supplies of her fallen allies. The ones from 3 and 5 had nothing but crackers and a bit of jerky on them, so she eats that as well, no use in weighing herself down with extra baggage at this point while she can have a feast right now.

If the game goes on longer than she anticipates and she eats what is left in her backpack, she is certain that a sponsor will send her food, but she is still determined to ration what is left after her feast. Just in case.

She remains near the site where four Tributes have died, resting, sipping some water, thinking about her next course of action. She has managed to stay alive thus far by paying attention to her surroundings. She has to wonder if there are more mines hidden around the arena, she takes great care to look for tracks and disturbed spots. The Gamemakers are doubtlessly thinking of something to bring the remaining Tributes together. So far she survived a thunderstorm, an earthquake, and a pack of wild dogs. She has suffered injuries, but nothing life-threatening, and a well-timed Sponsor gift helped to alleviate the pain and make sure infection or complications doesn't set in.

She fingers the pack of shuriken at her belt, one of the items from the Cornucopia. They have come in handy, she used them to injure another Tribute and close in for the kill. Some Careers pride themselves in their skill in hand-to-hand combat and she certainly has not skimped on that part of her training, but she does not eschew the practicality of attacking from a distance.

The smell of something burning fills her nostrils. She looks up, seeing the glow of red on the horizon. The grass on the veldt makes for excellent fuel for the fire, and after quickly looking around to make sure there are no predators lurking, she climbs out of the tree and jogs in the other direction, not too quickly so she can keep an eye out for any traps on the ground.

o0o0o0o

She sees the other two Tributes in a more wooded area, the fire having stopped its pursuit. The boy from 10 looks up, his eyes widening as he sees her. He and the girl from 9, who had been sitting around a fire, split off in opposite directions. The boy trips, and she decides to close in on him first. However, he recovers quickly and runs for his life – literally. He is a good runner, she has to admit, and after her jog, it is harder to keep up with him than it could be.

She throws one shuriken, but misses, she is running out of breath and it is hard to keep aim when she and the target are both moving at a frantic pace. She throws another – her last one – and it hits him in the leg.

She is on him in a second, taking out her knife. He looks up at him with hazel eyes full of pleading, his mouth opening, but no sound comes out except for a whimper. She is reminded of her first impression of him as she sees the gauntness of his cheeks.

For a moment, she hesitates. District 10 is one of the poorer districts, and if this boy won, his district would probably welcome the Parcels more than anyone in her own district ever did. She remembers her own Parcels; it was nice to get them, but she was already fine without them. For many in the poorer Districts, a Parcel could make the difference between starvation, and having just enough to get by. This boy, without a doubt, is one of those who signed up for tesserae.

Then he hits her side. For such a thin person, he is surprisingly strong, and she berates herself for her moment of weakness. She has to be strong. Before he can grab the knife, she sinks it into his shoulder.

o0o0o0o

There was once twenty-four. Now there are two. Soon to be one. She had found the District 9 girl, and severely wounded the other girl.

She looks down at the dying Tribute. She is tall and big, but not in a fat or overfed way. If she remembers correctly, this girl said she was fifteen in her interview. If she had lived in a Career district, she might have qualified for Career training, she had to be smart on top of her muscle to make it this far. She remembers back to the Bloodbath, the girl had simply grabbed the backpack that had been luckily close to her platform before making a dash for the woods.

Her hair is the color of wheat, the same thing her district is known for, and her eyes are a tawny green color. She knows she has lost, the resignation is clear in her eyes. Still, the soon-to-be winner respects her. She was a good fighter, the throbbing of the older girl's jaw is evidence of that.

"You played a good game." she acknowledges. A lopsided grin appears on the other girl's face and she gives out a short, bitter laugh.

"But only one can win." the younger girl manages to whisper.

"Only one can win." the Career girl repeats.

The cannon fires, and Seneca Crane's voice fills the air, declaring her the winner of the Hunger Games.

o0o0o0o

She is calm and poised during her interview. She had come out of the Games looking almost a wreck, her hair and clothing disheveled, her face streaked with dirt, her underarms and crotch smelling as they had never smelled before despite her efforts to stay clean. Taking a shower felt like a return to humanity, to civilization... which figuratively and literally, it was.

While she was being prepped for her interview, she dwelt on her time in the Game, silent as they exfoliated, manicured, pedicured, waxed, and scrubbed her. The Capitol had watched her kill several other children, cheering for her and sending her gifts. If she had killed someone in her own District, the consequences would be entirely different.

She thinks back on her time here before the Game. How all the children were fed, fawned over, dressed up and trotted out before the spectators as if they were putting on a show... which they were. The costumes in the Tribute Parade, the dresses and suits for the interviews...

23 children die every year, sometimes in prolonged or horrific ways, all for the Capitol's entertainment. Sure, the Capitol says that these tributes have a chance to earn forgiveness, and resources for their districts, and if they win, they're set for life. But isn't there a better way to earn forgiveness?

She is tempted to ask this in the interview. But instead she takes her Mentor's advice, saying what her mentor says will please the Capitol most.

...Yes, it is incredible being the Victor! I want to thank the Capitol for its generosity and forgiveness, it is such a honor to earn that privilege...

And inside, deep down inside, masked by the thrill and relief of being a Victor, she feels hollow as she looks out at the gaudily-dressed people of the Capitol, clapping and cheering for her as she smiles at Caesar Flcikerman before she turns to the camera, blowing a dignified kiss.

o0o0o0o

She is not sure what to expect from the mentors of the other Districts. Would they be angry at her, hate her for winning, for the fact that their own charges lost? She thinks of the mentor from District 9, a redheaded woman, and how excited she must have felt when the District 9 girl had made it to the final two.

And the Mentors who lost their children in the Bloodbath, how difficult it must have been for them. Being a Victor does not mean you are free of the Hunger Games. You are still expected to be part of it... just in a different capacity. She looks around, seeing the other Mentors scattered through the room, looking at her. She was already warned by her own Mentor that this happens with every Victor, but it still feels weird looking at them, meeting them, knowing that she will be seeing a lot more of them in the future.

She makes her rounds, starting with the ones from District 1, and working her way down. She admits to the District 3 and 5 mentors that their charges were clever, and they smile sadly at that. She certainly is not going to speak ill of the dead.

When she gets to District 9, she is unsure of what to say, but the woman speaks first.

"I heard what you said to Emmer in the arena. You're the first person to tell another player that."

_So that was the girl's name_, she thinks. "Really?" she asks with surprise. The Mentor nods.

"It just... seemed the right thing to say." she admits, now blushing. "I wanted to... do something nice for her." She pauses, realizing how stupid that must sound, since she is the one responsible for the girl. The other woman saw that. She wonders if the older woman will get angry at her for saying what sounds like a callous thing to say, and she starts to turn away.

But the District 9 Victor touches her arm. She looks back, and the woman looks at her understandingly.

"I should have said that myself when I was in the Game."

o0o0o0o

Back in the suite for her District, her Mentor is scolding her for what she said to the District 9 Mentor. She is not supposed to show weakness to the other Victors. There will be next year, and the year after that, and so on. As a Victor, she will be expected to ensure the best chances of survival for all future Tributes from her own District.

She wants to argue, but she keeps silent. She understands what her Mentor is saying. She can see herself being a friend to the District 9 woman, but ultimately, they will both be mentoring children who will be forced to kill one another if it comes down to it.

That is the dilemma all of the Victors face, she realizes. They all share a unique bond, of having gone through the games and surviving the ordeal. They all wanted to win, and they did. They all also want their own charges to win, which of course is a lot easier said than done.

The Hunger Games truly are diabolical, she realizes. Not only are the Districts pitted against one another, hoping their own Tribute will win, but even the Victors are forced to turn against one another every year, so the struggle never truly ends. It is an insidious level to the Hunger Games to make sure that the Victors, despite any friendships they might form with one another, remain in competition, trying to gain the rewards for their own District.

"I understand." she said. _In more ways than one_.


	3. III

Victory

III

This story had been originally planned to be a three-parter, but I found so much to think and write about that whoops, now it's four, possibly five parts. But hey, more for you to read! :D

o0o0o0o

Growing up, she has had to share her room with her sister, and share the bathroom with the entire family, but in her new house at Victor's Village, she has her own luxurious master bedroom and bathroom. She can soak in the tub or shower for as long as she pleases, and she can get up and go to sleep whenever she wants.

She buys her parents and siblings presents. Her father gets a new car, her mother gets a diamond necklace, and her little brother and sister get plenty of toys. Her siblings are of course gleeful at this, tearing through the wrappings and ribbons to get to the biggest pile of presents either of them has ever seen in their lives. Her parents on the other hand, have a look on their faces that remind her of how they looked when she had passed the test that qualified her for Career training, when she begged them to sign the paper that would allow her to complete it, and when she had volunteered.

o0o0o0o

During Career training, the Victors come to talk with the children on rare occasions, usually a few times a year. It is a way to assess the candidates, and to also give the children a chance to meet the people who won the Hunger Games. The Victors generally talk about strategy and winning, and sometimes giving the young Careers advice for their own training, assessing the strong and weak areas of each child.

As the newest Victor, she meets with the children who are training to be Careers, some of them she has actually sparred with in the past. They are so bright-eyed and eager for their own chance to win the Hunger Games.

o0o0o0o

Nearly half a year has passed since her victory, and now she is the centerpiece of this year's Victory Tour. In previous years, whenever the Victor was from her district, there was much reason to celebrate. Even if that were not the case, it is still a break from school and work, and she was able to fill her stomach with as much sweets and cookies as she liked.

Now she gets to see all the other Districts, a privilege rarely afforded to those outside of the Capitol. As it goes every year, her first stopping point is District 12.

She is stunned by what she sees from the window of the train. She has heard about how poor the outlying Districts are, but nothing prepared her for the glimpses of shacks she sees, which make the houses of even the poorer citizens in her own District look like mansions.

The Tribute boy's family consist of a wizened-looking woman – probably the boy's grandmother – and several younger children. The girls' family consists of nothing more than what seems to be a coal-miner and his wife, both of them looking twice the age of her own parents, because of the harshness of conditions for the poor in District 12. This couple has lost their only child. Even though she had no part in killing either of the Tributes from this district, she still feels bad.

Most of the people in the crowd don't look any better of than the families of the Tributes. She remembered hearing somewhere in the past that District 12 has one of the highest percentages of children applying for tesserae. Even the town square where the feast is being held has a shabby, run-down look despite the decorations and cleaning up it has been given for today.

She gives out the speech that has been approved by the Capitol and her mentor and escort, but the words feel hollow as she looks across the sea of bleak faces. Mayor Undersee's wife has that same face as she sits on the mayor's podium, her hands folded in her lap, her expression one of restrained misery.

She feels even bleaker when it is time to eat, because she can see by the way people go to the tables that this is probably the best most of them has eaten all year. She sees children stuff rolls and other items into their pockets for later, and even the adults are doing the same, wrapping food items in rags or newspaper, stuffing them into their coats or pants. Normally this kind of thing is not permitted, but she does not miss how many of the Peacekeepers here look the other way.

o0o0o0o

District 11 impresses her with its size as the train streaks past rolling fields. This district is much larger than she had ever imagined, even knowing that this district is one of Panem's main food sources.

However, one would not know this by looking at the gathered residents in the town square. Despite the difference in their complexion and racial make-up, the same bleak look and half-starved appearance is distinct on many of the people thronged here, including the families of the fallen Tributes.

She had killed the female Tribute in the Bloodbath, and she can feel the girl's family's resentment as she stands to give her speech. The girl has several brothers and sisters, some older, some younger, but there is no mistaking the resemblance between them and their dead sister.

o0o0o0o

District 10 is no better. Despite the cleanness of the town square, the smell from a slaughterhouse drifts over to her on the wind as she gives her speech. She has seen several on her way through this District, but the train insulated her from the smell of animal – and human – misery. Again, a District that is responsible for food production has many of its residents lacking in this basic necessity.

The boy she killed has three younger brothers. There is no mother, just a father with the weary look that she has seen too many times in these three Districts. His clothes hang on his wiry form, and the cowboy hat on his head is battered and much-worn, a sharp contrast from the glitzy gold hat his son wore in the Tribute Parade. There is little doubt in her mind that at least one of the remaining brothers will sign up for tesserae.

o0o0o0o

After District 10, the landscape of District 9 is much more pleasant, showing fields upon fields of various kinds of wheat.

Here she deviates from her speech as she looks at Emmer's family. "Emmer was a good player. I know she did not ask to be part of the Game, but she gave it her best nonetheless, and I can respect her for that." After the resentment she has seen from the previous families for her hand in the death of their loved ones, she hopes that maybe this one won't hate her as much. But her hope is in vain as Emmer's mother continues to glare at her hatefully.

o0o0o0o

The rest of the tour goes without incident. She takes the time to observe each District, comparing the differences to one another, taking in all the details she can, just as she did in her training and the Game itself. The distant hum of a factory near the town square of District 8, and hanks of brightly-colored yarn she sees hanging in a storefront display at the edge of the town square. The swaths of trees in various stages of growth she sees along the track of District 7.

In District 6, near the tracks, she sees construction yards, bearing airplanes, and trains in various stages of construction. District 5, a relatively small district, nonetheless impress her with its tall buildings and seemingly endless lights, almost rivaling the Capitol itself. 3, another relatively small District, is nonetheless one of the better-looking ones, at least from the town square. The microphone she uses, and the screen that projects her image to the crowds, are both upgraded, sleeker versions of what she has seen in the other districts, apparently the newest model and make. She does not need to be told that soon enough, this upgrade will make its way to the other Districts, but first, the Capitol.

When she comes to the District that provided the Career Tribute she killed so early in the game, she avoids eye contact with his family. They – and the rest of Panem – have seen her kill this boy and then lie about it, but she tries to not feel sorry about it, since he volunteered for the Game just as she did.

o0o0o0o

The first time she came to the Capitol, it was as a Tribute. Now she is returning to it as a Victor. She has to admit, it is nice to not have to worry about her life, and be able to enjoy the luxuries the heart of Panem has to offer without wondering if that taste of the higher life would be the only one she would ever experience.

o0o0o0o

The only thing she can feel right now is disgust and loathing for the sea of made-up and cosmetically-altered faces before her as she sits with Caesar Flickerman for her Victory Tour interview.

She wants to ask why so many people go hungry just so a few can be blatantly wasteful. But there is a reason why she won the Hunger Games, because she was so attentive to her surroundings. It was expected for a few Tributes to bemoan their being selected for the Game or to express homesickness or grief. However, if they complained or said anything negative about the Capitol during their interviews, they did not get sponsors, and were usually killed off early in the arena by a 'natural' cause if they survived the Bloodbath. And as her mentor warned her, more is at stake for Victors.

So she smiles, taking a bit about her family and how happy she was to see them again, before she moves on about how fun it was to see the other Districts. She names a few things she remembers positively, like ...the fields of District 11 are breath-taking... oh, the lovely trees of District 7!... District 3 has such clever gadgets... how marvelous it is to be able to see all of Panem!...

She prides herself on bring smart, and here she is, saying stupid things to pander to the people that she increasingly sees as stupid.

o0o0o0o

She is stunned at the spread of food at the party at the Capitol. She had thought that the food served at the Feast Days throughout her tour was impressive enough, but the food before her contains things she has never heard of, or seen prepared in such a way. There has to be at least a hundred different dishes, and she finds herself full after sampling less than fifteen dishes, taking more from some of them after really enjoying them.

She outs her hand over her stomach, the richness of the food making it churn a little, she usually only feels this way during Feast Days.

A hand touches her elbow, it is Calpurnia, the leader of her beauty team. She has a vial of a clear liquid in her hand.

"Go to the commode and drink this. You'll feel better. Then you can come back and eat more!"

In the luxurious washroom, she looks at the vial. Back at home there were remedies for upset stomachs, of course, but she has never seen something like this. Nor can she contemplate eating more with her stomach already so full.

She twists the top off and swallows the liquid. A couple of seconds later, she is in one of the stalls, emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

The emptiness in her stomach is filled with a cold numbness as she flushes the toilet and then washes her hands, her heart pounding as the implications of what she has just done sinks in. The Capitol is in charge of how each District's resources are used. Each District has to send much of their resources to the Capitol, and it is up to the Mayors to make sure that the quotas are met. The gaunt faces of the residents of the various Districts she has gone to come to the forefront, especially those of 9, 10, and 11. These people work hard to provide food and barely get any for themselves or their families, and the Capitol takes it so that they can gorge themselves and then throw it up so that they can gorge more.

In her own better-off District, her parents insist that they do not waste food. If there were leftovers after dinner, her mother would simply save it for the next day, and she could be quite creative with them, stretching out the family's food budget. Though they had been far from rich, at least they had full stomachs on a regular basis. For so many people in a food-providing district to go hungry every night boggles her mind.

Even with an empty stomach, she is not hungry. The multitude of dishes that meets her eyes when she emerges from the washroom have lost their appeal, now all she can think of is these miserable, starving faces.

o0o0o0o

All she wants to do is go home at this point. She would even be happy to go to her old house, just to get away from these odious people. Who in her own District, much less any District, would want to dye their bodies, or have bits of metal or plastic implanted into their faces? She does not understand how they think that what they do to themselves looks even remotely good, and in this is a bitter sort of irony. These people look down at the rest of the Districts, thinking themselves superior, yet there are things about them that are so easy to mock. Not out loud, of course.

o0o0o0o

President Snow wants to see her in private, she is told. She dreads seeing him again, remembering the smell of blood on his breath mingled with the rose on his lapel when he placed the Victor's laurels on her head and personally congratulated her for her victory. It is getting rather late, many have left and things have quieted down, some people are sleeping on the sofas or divans, others still awake and sipping wine from District 1.

She remembers her Mentor's warning, that Snow would probably want to have a private meeting with her, and if he asks for this, then she must do as she is told. This cryptic piece of advice repeats itself in her mind as she is led to a private, quiet wing of Snow's mansion. Has she done something wrong? She thinks back on her interviews, her speeches, everything she has done in public – or even privately. All her negative thoughts, she has not discussed them with anyone, even her Mentor.

The doors open, and what lies behind them fill her with confusion and shock.

_You must do as you are told._

The Hunger Games were brutal enough, but here, Snow wants to play an entirely different – and in some ways, far worse – game with her.


	4. IV

**Victory**

IV

o0o0o0o

She will never feel clean again, she is sure of it, no matter how many times she scrubs herself all over her body. Nor will she ever forget the smell of blood mixed with roses, that pungent scent searing itself into her memory.

Part of her wishes she had died in the Hunger Games. If she had known that Snow liked to 'celebrate' with the Victors, she never would have become a Career Tribute. She thinks about the other Victors she met after she won. What have they gone through? Are the male Victors also subject to this as well? She wants to lash out at her Mentor for allowing her to walk into Snow's private chambers completely unaware of what was going to happen.

o0o0o0o

She feels hollow, nothing more than a husk of her former self as she stares out at the eager and proud faces that swarm her. The recited words of her speech tumble off her tongue, easy now after having been said eleven times already, which is fortunate because it feels as if she has to put all of her mental facilities into making these words sound convincing. At least the people here are happy to see her, which is more than can be said for the citizens of the other Districts. Even the family of the fallen Tribute Boy holds no animosity towards her, since she had nothing to do with his death.

After what she has been through, the joy of these people at seeing her serve as a fleeting balm for all the wounds, physical and emotional, she has suffered in the Games and its aftermath. But when she is alone, laying in her bed at night, all she can see is the faces of the people she killed, and Snow's leering face, flecks of blood on his lips, which provide handy fuel for her nightmares.

o0o0o0o

The time has come for another Reaping. She sits on the podium with the other Victors. She will be this year's Mentor for the Tribute Girl, and the male Mentor will show her the ropes, she is told. After what happened to her in the Capitol, she has no desire to go back, but she has no choice.

She stares ahead as the Reaping commences, the volunteers coming forward. As her Mentor did to her last year, she congratulates the Tributes and shakes their hands. On the train, she gives them almost exactly the same talk she received last year.

It feels a bit odd returning to the Capitol. She will be expected to drum up sponsors, as well as give her charge all the advice and help she can give. She remembers how, in her District, as she met the Careers in training, she wanted to tell them to stop training, that being an Career is not the honor it is made out to be. She almost gagged right then and there as she remembered the smell of blood and roses, unable to meet the eyes of the eager, young Careers as they looked up to her.

But she kept her mouth shut on these aspects, and still does. A higher percentage of Victors means more Parcel Days, and not just that, but better treatment for the District even in years that their Tributes lose. When she thinks about the poorer districts, and how there is never a volunteer from these Districts, well, it's hard to not face the facts when one really thinks about it. She is sure that this has occurred to the other Career Victors, and that is why they put on smiling faces for the children of their District, talking about the honor of being a willing Tribute for the chance to earn the Capitol's forgiveness and generosity.

Her charge is overconfident. She tries to warn the Tribute about this, to wait and observe like she did. The girl is in excellent physical shape, and is also bright. But in the Hunger Games, it takes more than this to win.

o0o0o0o

Like last year, she pays attention to the other Tributes when she can. Every year the crop is different, and wild cards show up when people least expect them. The interviews are an especially good spot to pay attention, because sometimes what a Tribute says can give a hint to their strategy in the arena. She does not merely tell her charge who to watch out for, who can be picked off easily. She asks the girl questions, trying to provoke her thought, to make her figure things out, because once in the arena, she will no longer have the advice of her mentor. Again, there is that streak of stubbornness and overconfidence. It does not necessarily mean failure, but lack of caution often leads to one's demise in the deadly Game.

o0o0o0o

Her warnings have gone unheeded. Despite getting a couple of rather nice Sponsor gifts for her Tribute, the girl dies before she can make it to the final four. She had gone hunting, looking for three remaining Tributes not in the Career alliance. Just like the year before, these Tributes set a trap, and she fell into it.

Now there are just four tributes left – the lone Career, the District 2 boy, and three Tributes from the poorer districts. There is the boy from 6, the girl from 8, amd the girl from 11. 2 could still take the others out, he has weapons and supplies, while the others are not faring as well.

However, the Hunger Games are entertainment for the Capitol, and it is up to the Gamemakers to keep things interesting. It's boring if three children just starve to death, so the Gamemakers announce that there is food at the Cornucopia.

The District 2 Tribute tries to use this as a trap, laying in wait for the others to come so he can slaughter them all. However, this alliance has evidently figured that out, as the girls present themselves as a distraction while the boy from 6 ambushes the boy from 2 and kills him.

Like she has seen several times in previous Hunger Games, the alliance quickly breaks down with no other threats left, and it is two more days before the boy from 6 manages to kill the other remaining Tribute, the girl he has actually protected from the Careers before. How quickly things can change when it is a matter of life and death.

And all so the people of the Capitol can be amused.

o0o0o0o

At least she won't have to go back to the Capitol for at least another year. She wonders what it is like for the non-Career Victors. After all, they were not brought up to see being a Tribute as a honor, but bad luck of the draw. Of course, the people of District 6 won't see it that way, at least not for a year. They'd see this draw as good luck, to have a Victor after so many years of losing, and the rewards that come with it.

She remembers how she was on the receiving end of the hate of the families of the fallen Tributes, and she sees this as the Victor comes to her District for the Feast. Her own face is impassive, this boy was forced into a game he never wanted to play, she can not blame him for the decisions he made. If anything embodies the saying 'Desperate times call for desperate measures', it is the Hunger Games.

o0o0o0o

Next year she gets to stay home, as the other female Victor will be Mentor. It is nice to not have to deal with the people of the Capitol. She had thought they were insufferable right after she won, but talking with them, trying to get them to sponsor her Tribute, seeing them treat this game as if it was nothing but that, has really grated on her nerves.

For a Tribute, a gift could mean the difference between life and death, but to a would-be sponsor, it is nothing more than choosing a favorite, like one would choose a favorite actor or singer, often for an arbitrary reason like their appearance or something they said in the Interview, or how they carried themselves in the Tribute Parade. To a potential sponsor, there is also the expectation that they will be paid back for their sponsorship, whether with winning money gambled on a Tribute, or something more.

How well she remembers that, tasting bile in her mouth as she was expected to pay back for the gifts she received in the arena, Snow is not the only one who likes private 'play time' with the Victors.

o0o0o0o

The female tribute from 8 wins this year. Her name is Cecelia, and she won through a clever Gift from her Sponsors, a coil of silk cord, which this girl has used in varying ways to create shelter, form traps, and when there is just her and one other Tribute, the means to ensuring her victory.

o0o0o0o

Her life changes forever the day her sister comes through the door from school, excited because she passed the test that qualifies her for pre-Career training. She does not miss the dismay in her parent's eyes, and she feels it mirrored in her own. Still, the girl is just twelve, and she remembers how she was at that age. There is still time to dissuade her sister from the path before she becomes sixteen and commits herself to the Game.

Through the next four years, she tries to veer the starry-eyed girl from this path, but it is not easy, when her older sister is a Victor, lauded by the District. She brings up the amount of children who have died, how even if you and the Careers make it to the end, you still have only a 1 in 6 chance to win, and that the other Careers will be just as well-trained as you. She is even tempted to bring up the sick 'private games' in the Capitol, and almost does so a few times, just to try to scare her sister into backing out, but in the back of her head, she knows that if she ever revealed this dark secret, there would be consequences.

Her sister is lauded in school for wanting to imitate her older sibling, and during a visit from a old neighbor, she hears the old lady comment to her mother about how spectacular it would be to have TWO children as Victors!

Sometimes she wants to scream to the whole District that there is nothing honorable about this, that the spiel that the Capitol spouts about forgiveness and generosity is nothing but bait, a well-crafted excuse to keep the games going. Of course, she knows better than that, as long as these people believe the Capitol, then they will continue to be treated better than the other Districts. It's not the first time she thinks about this, and it certainly won't be the last.

o0o0o0o

Her sister wants to commit to the last two years of training. There will be no going back once the agreement is signed. Again, her parents refuse to sign the form, and she agrees with them. There is plenty of arguing in the house, her sister is furious and feels cheated. The girl, just shy of her sixteenth birthday, slams the door to her room and sulks in there all night.

However, a week later, the Mayor comes to her house. He is the brother of a previous Victor, now dead. He asks in a calm, even grandfatherly tone why her parents will not sign the contract. She tells him one Victor is enough and that they are happy with that. He simply smiles and tells her that as a Victor, her signature on the form would be just as good.

She shakes her head. She can and will not do it. He scowls a little, and asks why she would deny her sister this grand opportunity. She pauses as she considers her words. There are so many things she could say. Finally, she speaks.

"I had to kill several children in that game. It is a very difficult thing to live with, knowing you took someone else's life. I do not want her going through the same thing." There. She has given him what she concludes is the safest answer. Nothing disparaging about the Capitol, nothing they could possibly take offense at. It is mere fact, and something she has also seen in the other Victors, especially those who have taken to drink or drugs. The last Victor from District 6, not even twenty-five years old, is addicted to morphling and looks older than his actual age. The Mayor smiles and shrugs.

"This game is a part of our lives. Nothing will change that. Better a volunteer than luck of the draw, eh?"

She shakes her head again. "There are other volunteers." There are usually multiples of boys or girls in the sixteenth year, in case something happens. When she was sixteen, there was another girl who also committed to the program. She died of a brain aneurysm the next year.

"I see." He leaves.

However, that is not the end of the matter. The Mayor supersedes the authority of anyone else in the District, and her sister is entered into the program. Of course, her sister is more than ecstatic.

o0o0o0o

When it comes time for her sister to enter the Hunger Games, she insists on having her older sister as her Mentor. The Victor does not want this, but her sister is so insistent that the other Victors agree, and she has no choice but to accompany her sister to the Capitol.

Of course, much is made of the fact that this Tribute has a older sibling as a Victor, especially in the interview.

At least this makes it easy to drum up Sponsors. "I would so love it if my little sister could come home with me," she says, and the sponsors eat this right up.

_I'm sure all the parents would love it if their children came home, if the siblings of these Tributes could see their brothers and sisters again._

Her sister is one of the more popular Tributes not just for having an older sister as a Victor, but also because she conducted herself so well in the Parade and the Interviews, smiling at the cameras, choosing her words with the careful coaching of her older sister.

o0o0o0o

Her sister has made it to the final four. She knows her parents and District are watching the Games especially closely. It would be the first time ever, in the entire history of the Game, that siblings have won. However, victory is not certain, as the only Tributes left are Careers, so her sister has some formidable opponents to deal with.

The young Tribute is not as arrogant as the first Tribute she had mentored. She had managed to elude a trap set by the District 12 Tributes before killing the pair. She manages to escape when the alliance breaks down, one of the boys killing the other boy. Now there are just three.

She can not help but be a bit excited. It's the first time since before she was a Tribute that this game has actually made her feel anything other than negativity. She goes around to try to drum up more support ad gifts for her sister, but at this point in the game, even the smallest gift costs a lot of money, and her sister already has several weapons and a small supply of food. The three remaining Tributes are closely matched, and it is actually one of the most thrilling games ever, according to Claudius Templesmith as he monitors the game.

The Gamemakers do their best to make this exciting, releasing several types of animals to chase the Tributes around, including what looks to be blue and green-striped cats. She's seen ordinary cats in her District, but the animals in the Hunger Games are anything but ordinary, and this is a fact that is brought home when her sister is mauled by a pack of them.

Miraculously, the girl survives, the cats retreating as if answering a summons. She manages to patch up her wounds with leaves and vines, but she will never be pretty again, at least not without extensive surgery. It's a wonder one of the cats didn't rip out her throat.

Her older sister goes amongst the potential sponsors again, trying to get someone to send a gift of medicine. Fortunately, there is one man willing to do so, as he is so impressed by her sister's tenacity. The gift is prohibitively expensive, and she has no doubt that some sort of repayment will be expected later, but at this point, she just wants the girl to survive.

However, the young Tribute is killed two days later, and she falls to her knees in front of the screen, screaming her lungs out, sobbing and wailing.

o0o0o0o

She feels numb as she watches the Victor being crowned. She hates this boy for killing her sister, and finds it hard to remember, much less care, that there can only be one winner and it was either him or her sister. She feels just like the parents or siblings of any fallen Tribute.

o0o0o0o

Before she can go home, the man who sponsored the medicine for her sister approaches her. She is startled to recognize this man from years ago, when he had also sponsored a gift for her. Like so many people of the Capitol, he follows the most ostentatious and gaudy fashions, his appearance so changed that she does not recognize him until now.

He expects her to show gratitude for the gifts he has bought for her and her sister. He expresses his disappointment in her sister's death, but not because he cared about her as a person.

"It would have been so nice to have the two of you together in my bed. Quite an one of a kind experience, I was so looking forward to it." he says with a sigh. She shuddered as she remembered what she had done in this man's bed, and what he would ask of a pair of sisters.

"Well, there's still one of you, and it's been a while." he says flippantly.

Despite her best instincts and all she has observed and learned in the Capitol, she is unable to hold back, and tells him what a terrible man he is, him and his friends and the President and the entire Capitol. She does not hold back on the vitriol that has been bubbling up inside of her since she was crowned Victor. After nearly a decade, she is unable to hold back the flood of emotion.

Only after the rush of emotion has abated and she stares at the cold expression on her former sponsor's face does she realize the enormity of what she has just done, and the inevitable price that will be paid.


	5. V

**Victory**

Chapter V

o0o0o0o

Her words were paid for with a devastating price. Her house, which was once filled with the happy chatter of her younger siblings and the comfort of her parents, is now silent and empty. She knows she is not the first one to lose her family to the Capitol's whims, and others have been punished this way for far less. Haymitch Abernathy's family was taken from him for a reason she thinks is completely arbitrary, but then what does it matter what she or her fellow Victor think? They're only here for the Capitol's entertainment.

She lays there in her big bed. Despite the luxury that surrounds her, she is unmindful of all the little extravagances that she could only have ever dreamed of before she won the Hunger Games. Her dreams are filled of the depraved things that Snow and her sponsors have put her through. Sometimes she wonders if living in one of the slums of the poorer Districts would be better than being a Victor, as long as she had her family.

Ignorance really is bliss.

o0o0o0o

The next time she goes to the Capitol, there is the undeniable fact that the other mentors know what happened to her family. It is not talked about openly, but once in a while, when she is in the same place as other Victors, she will catch their eye. Haymitch gives her a half-smile, filled with sadness as he lifts his tumbler of whatever alcohol he has put in there. She receives a couple of token expressions of sympathy for what had happened to her sister, but she knows there are others who have suffered worse than her.

A few times in the past, the children of Victors have been selected for the arena. If it hurt her so much to lose her sister, especially with her experience as a Victor, she can only imagine what it must be like for another Victor to watch their own child fight in the arena and die.

Career or not, the end result is the same. You are a Tribute because the Capitol wants the Districts turned against one another, and having a few Career Districts intensifies that divide. Each District wants the rewards that come with having a Victor from their District. Volunteer or not, in the end it makes little difference.

You are a Victor because you proved yourself tough, smart, or lucky – usually a combination of the three. But no matter how good you play the game, the Capitol always wins. The odds are against you before you even begin. She looks down at the bright-eyed and eager Careers as they are pulled along in their chariots at the Tribute Parade, smiling and waving. She can already tell that the District 4 boy will gain a lot of Sponsors, he is exceptionally good-looking and the cameras capture an handsome smile that doubtlessly causes some swoons in the audience. Of course, if this boy wins the game, he will see the dark side of the Sponsors and fans...

"Why do you volunteer?" This question is asked by the District 9 female Mentor, the same one she talked to about Emmer. She is surprised at this question, for since their talk about Emmer, they had exchanged nothing but small talk and formalities.

Before she had played in the Game, this question would have been so easy to answer. Bravery. Honor. The chance to provide for your District. And of course, as the Capitol says, forgiveness.

This has nothing to do with forgiveness, it's all about entertainment, and what can be bought by the highest bidder. Money might not buy happiness... but it can buy the illusion of it. There is also the fact that the wealthy of the Career Districts fund Career training. The reason is twofold – it keeps their own children safe from the Reaping, and it also boosts the prosperity of these three select Districts as a whole. Even if there is no Victor for that District, they are still better off than the nine other Districts whose children are taken from their Districts by force.

"Better to volunteer than have your life decided for you by the luck of the draw." she finally replies with a shrug.

o0o0o0o

The handsome boy turns out to be a ruthless opponent in the Game. He handles his net and trident with ease, and combined with his physical prowess, make him a force to be reckoned with – and he is merely fourteen.

The boy who was supposed to volunteer for District 4 backed out, unwilling to face the odds. He will face plenty of ridicule and derision, to be sure, as well as having to pay back what was invested in his Career training, but one thing is sure – the young man has his life. His replacement had his name plucked out of the Reaping Ball, but so far, the odds are in his favor.

The audience goes wild every time the handsome youth from District 4 makes a kill. Gifts are practically showered upon him – more gifts than most Tributes have or will ever receive in their game. He even gets a few of the cosmetic variety, so he can continue to look good through the game.

His good looks are matched by his intelligence. He manages to elude a few traps, and his trident saves his life when one of the other Tributes come at him with a sword. Soon enough the remaining tributes all team up against him, realizing that he must be taken down first. However, he manages to best them all, becoming the Victor of the 65th Hunger Games and one of the youngest to ever win the title of Victor.

o0o0o0o

As she very well knows, the Hunger Games can be won through various methods, and she impresses this on the young Careers under her tutelage. There is Mags, one of the oldest Victors, winning for her District before it even became a Career District. She was the first Victor of her District, and it is what spurred them to become a Career District, after seeing the rewards that were given to Mags – and to the rest of them.

There is Seeder, who won her Game by not killing someone else, but by simply outlasting the others when it came to hunger. Hailing from District 11 and knowing hungry very well, the young District 11 girl had simply hidden herself, conserving her food and water, and also eating things that most others would turn their noses up at. Near the end of the game, even just one cracker or cup of water was prohibitively expensive, and despite the efforts of the Mentors and Sponsors, the elite Careers succumbed to fatal hunger.

Haymitch Abernathy is one of the more famous Victors. He was written off early in the game, and he found a way to use the arena to ensure his victory. Of course, that cost him his family. Which would have been worse – him going home to nobody, or his body going home to his family in a coffin?

Lacking in physical strength or the benefit of an alliance, Beetee managed to figure out a way to win the game, using his technological prowess to create the electric trap that killed his opponents without shedding blood or sweat.

Who could forget Enobaria, who sealed her victory by ripping out someone else's throat with her teeth? Even now, she finds Enobaria's smile to be unnerving, the gold tips shining under the lights when Enobaria speaks.

Study them all, and others, she tells the Careers in training. You never know what you will need to win. _Or just how much the odds can be against you._

o0o0o0o

The Games go on as they always have. One of her charges wins, so it is time for another Victory Tour. Nothing has changed. The outlying districts are still miserable and poor. She sees the looks of animosity amongst the families of the Tributes that her charge had killed. She warns her charge about what will happen in the Capitol, deciding to just be honest about it instead of the vague warning that her mentor had given her.

She does not miss the disgust in the younger Victor's face. She warns her charge to keep this disgust hidden and to _do as you are told_.

o0o0o0o

With all that she has been through and seen, and the bitter truths she has had to deal with, she certainly understands how some of the other Victors could lose themselves to drink or drugs. When she is sitting by herself in her house, she finds alcohol an easy if temporary refuge from the depression that claws at her insides.

She doesn't become an raging alcoholic like Haymitch, though. She is careful to present a positive image to the public world. But when she is alone, there is no one to watch her drink shot after shot, trying to escape the images that will haunt her for the rest of her life.

o0o0o0o

Johanna Mason wins the Game by deception. She pulls this off by showing herself as a weak little ninny, bursting into tears during her interview and crying about missing her family, receiving low scores in training, and continuing to cry in the Game, her tears caught on camera. Typically, people do not want to sponsor someone who is bound to lose the game, but Johanna proves herself to be ruthless, switching between the personae of a helpless little Tribute and a more than able competitor.

Gloss and Cashmere make Hunger Games history by scoring the only back-to-back victory ever, for their district. Being siblings on top of that, draws inevitable comparisons between them and her sister and herself. Doubtless this duo has irresistible allure as 'playmates' for Snow and his cronies.

Annie Cresta wins the 70th Hunger Games by virtue of being the only remaining Tribute who knows how to swim at the point the dam breaks, unexpectedly ending the Game. Like Seeder, she is one of the rare few who did not have kill to end the game.

Like so many others, in the Capitol and in the Districts, she is fixed to the screen as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark face one another after being told that only one person could win the Game, and like anyone else, wonders how the two Tributes from 12 will settle this. When they both win the Game, she is relieved and happy for them. These two found a way to beat the Game, and in a way, the Capitol, though she knows that Snow will find a way to make them pay for it later.

o0o0o0o

It is nearly time for the third Quarter Quell. She wonders what special rules will be in play this time. Given the rules of the last two Quells, it could be almost anything.

Will the Tributes all be just one gender? Or just one age? That has interesting possibilities... a group of Tributes who are all 18 would be more evenly matched. Or what if they were at the other end of the spectrum? That would be a pitiful sight, 24 12-year-olds trying to survive as they kill one another. What if instead of double the amount like they had for the 50th Games, they halve the amount?

No, that would be too generous. The Capitol wants drama, and whoever thought of the rules for the Quells knew what he was doing. Voting for your own Tributes? Doubling the amount? Twisted, but clever. The next rule would have to be something that no one would expect.

She watches her television as Snow opens the yellowed envelope with the 75 on it. Doubtless just about everyone in Panem has their eyes glued to that 75 and what lies under it. The white-haired man pulls the paper out of the envelope and reads its contents.

She sits there for several moments, processing what has just been said. Instead of a fresh crop of Tributes for this year's Games, the Victors – the ones who were supposed to be safe for the rest of their lives – will be the pool from which this year's Tributes are reaped.

No way. There is no way in hell she can deal with this. There are other Victors from her District, but she can not deal with the chance that she might have to enter the arena again. She refuses to entertain the Capitol yet again. She wonders if this year's rules had been in that envelope all along, or if Snow had put them in there to punish Katniss and Peeta.

Either way, she is done. She can not watch more people die. She can not deal with the Capitol and the many ugly truths in Panem. She has struggled with this darkness for years, and she is tired of fighting.

o0o0o0o

She takes a long, hot shower, spending almost a hour in there, letting it cascade over her body. This also gives her time to change her mind, but her resolve has only strengthened.

At rare times she has used morphling, for when the alcohol was not enough to numb her pain. She takes one last look at the framed picture of her family she keeps next to her bed. The bottle of whiskey and the vials of morphling are what she looks upon next. The mixture of alcohol and fatal dose of morphling send her on an ever-increasing crest that takes her away from this world with each surge. At first she was afraid, as she had been right before entering the arena, but now, she is calm.

In everything that happens, in her own life, the lives of those who died in the arena, even the nearly omnipotent citizens of the Capitol, there is one force to which even Corolianus Snow must eventually succumb. At least tonight, she is playing the final game on her own terms, even if she will inevitably lose.

Death is the only Victor.

o0o0o0o

Well. This was a rather different sort of story for me to write, but I'm glad I did because it allowed me to expand into a new area and try something I'm not used to doing. I hope you all liked it, and I appreciate and welcome all reviews and feedback. I hope I did the books justice with this short story.


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